I would love to know costs of services from locals living on Ambergris. Please give all price in Belize dollars.

Belize doesn’t have a cost of living. It has several costs of living.The traditional view is that Belize is the most expensive countryin Central America, yet one of the least expensive in theCaribbean. While there’s truth to that, it really doesn’t take intoaccount that the actual cost of living in Belize can vary fromalmost nothing to very high.

You can live in a luxury four-bedroom house, with air conditioning,telephones and faxes, a dishwasher, microwave and cableTV, U.S. food in your pantry and imported vodka in your glass,and you can spend thousands a month. Or you can live in asmall Belizean-style house with no phone or internet, eat beansand rice and rice and beans, and drink local rum for US$300 amonth or less. Most expats in Belize choose somewhere inbetween.

Some condos in Belize go for more than US$400,000, but Iknow one happy Belize resident who built and equipped hissmall house, using his own labor, with thatch from nature andtimbers from a lagoon, for US$4,000, and that includes furnitureand kitchen equipment.

After all, per capita income in Belize is a fraction of that in theU.S. A weekly wage of US$125 to $150 for six days of work isconsidered pretty good. (But there are tour guides in San Pedroand Caye Caulker who make US$3,000 to $4,000 a month, soyou can’t generalize.) Tens of thousands of Belizeans live, andin many cases live comfortably, on a few thousand dollars ayear. You can live like a Belizean, too. Or you can compromise,forsaking those high-cost icons of civilization such as 90,000BTU air conditioners, while keeping the family car, boat or othertoys that you enjoy. Live partly on the Belizean style, partly inthe U.S. style, and enjoy the benefits of both, and you’ll getmore, perhaps for less.

One American expat, who returned to Colorado after living inBelize for five years, said he was surprised at how the cost ofliving in the U.S. had increased since he left. “Compared toColorado Springs, ANYTHING in Belize is cheap. And I can’twait to get back — I just don’t have enough money to live herein anything but poverty!”

Price Sampler

Here’s a sampler of costs for common items in Belize, as of2006. All prices are shown here in U.S. dollars. As in othercountries, prices for many items vary depending on where andwhen you buy them. Remember, many of these are islandprices and costs may be lower on the mainland.

Fish and beans and rice at local restaurant, Hopkins: $4Chicken, rice and beans at low restaurant, San Pedro; $6-8Fish, French fries and cole slaw dinner, San Pedro: $11Rice and beans at Reef restaurant, San Pedro (lunch): $3Rice and beans usually comes with chicken in a restaurant San Pedro: $ 6 - 8Lobster dinner at nice restaurant, Belize City: $25Movie theater ticket, Princess, Belize City: $8.50Rum drink at bar, Placencia: $3

Shelter Costs

Rent for simple two-bedroom house in Corozal: $200 to $450Rent for two-bedroom apartment in San Pedro: $450 to $1,900Cost to build a reinforced concrete home: $35 to $85 a sq. ft.Small concrete house and lot in Belmopan or Cayo starts at $ 35,000Modern three-bedroom house and beachview lot in ConsejoShores: $135,000—$175,000Two-bedroom condo on Ambergris Caye: $150,000 to $650,000

As noted, the cost of living varies greatly in Belize, dependingon your lifestyle, preferences and place of residence. Here areseveral different budgets.

Monthly Budget (in U.S. Dollars) for Affluent Couple inSan Pedro

This budget reflects the cost of living for a 45-year-old affluentexpat who rent a two-bedroom condo on Ambergris Caye.Assumption: The couple owns a golf cart, owns a small boatand spends freely for entertainment and personal expenses.They have major medical insurance with an international firm. Italso assumes the couple has income from outside Belize that isnot taxed in Belize.

This budget reflects the cost of living for a 55-year-old expatcouple who own their own small house on Caye Caulker. Itassumes that the couple has paid for their US$150,000 houseand therefore do not have a house payment. Also assumed:they have a couple of bicycles and they choose to purchasehealth insurance from an international insurer, and that the couplehas income from outside Belize that is not taxed in Belize.